Patty Shwartz

On April 9, 2013, ten Republican senators joined Democrats and Independents to confirm Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in a long-delated 64-34 vote.

On Jan. 3, 2013, President Obama renominated Shwartz with the strong bipartisan support of her New Jersey home-state Democratic Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, and Republican Governor Chris Christie.Once again, the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary gave Shwartz its highest rating: unanimously Well Qualified.

On Feb. 14, 2013, Shwartz also received bipartisan support in the Senate Judiciary Committee, with South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham voting “Yes” (a significant change from her March 8, 2012 Committee approval, when he voted “present”).

Shwartz was originally nominated on Oct. 5, 2011, and had a Feb. 15, 2012 hearing, one year prior to her second Judiciary Committee approval.